Benaud

To generations Richie Benaud was an astute observer of cricket, a fixture of television coverage. Behind the public façade was a charming man whose modesty and firmness of opinion dictated that no one would write his official biography—and no friend of his should help an unofficial biographer.


In Benaud, Brian Matthews offers a personal appreciation of Richie Benaud: the dashing exponent of leg spin, innovative captain and prolific writer about the game, but also the intensely private individual. From backyard games in the 1950s and an encounter at Old Trafford to Benaud’s heyday in the commentary box—via the Benaud family home in Parramatta and ancestral home in France—Matthews traces the contours in the life of one of the greats.


Brian Matthews is an unreconstructed St Kilda supporter who’s spent too much of his life at sporting grounds pursuing truth and victory. His books include Louisa, a life of Louisa Lawson; the autobiography A Fine and Private Place; and Manning Clark: A Life. He is an honorary professor of English at Flinders University, a winner of the ALS Gold Medal and a Eureka Street contributor.


‘A natural writer.’ Peter Craven


‘Matthews’ comic and melancholic tone is pitch perfect.’ Matthew Condon